Tag: Wat Arun

via Bangkok Post, 30 Nov 2017: This news came out last week while I was away on a work trip, but a pair of tourists have been detained in Thailand for taking selfies of their bare butt in Bangkok’s Wat Arun. They now face several charges including jail time. We have seen other tourists getting in trouble previously for stripping in Angkor and Bagan, so we can say that these two are literally a pair of dumb asses.

Two American men who posted photos of themselves with their rear ends exposed on their “Travelling butts” Instagram travel page at the capital’s famous Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) could face seven years in jail.

From afar, the iconic stupas of the Temple of Dawn stand elegantly on the bank of the Chao Phraya River. But looking closely at the finer details of the famous landmark, admirers may notice a thick coat of lime plaster that almost covers decorative ceramic tiles. At some spots, ceramics are attached untidily to the central stupa, suggesting sloppy repair work.

The restoration of Wat Arun, as the Temple of Dawn is known, has stirred a heated debate among conservationists, archaeologists, historians and admirers of the historical edifice. The Fine Arts Department, which oversees the restoration, insists that the work has been carried out according to scholastic standards and historical accuracy. However, critics find the work sub-par and poorly supervised, resulting in the diminished grandeur of a national heritage site.

via Khaosod English, 19 August 2017: Another discussion of the restoration of Wat Arun in Bangkok, which is receiving mixed reactions. The Fine Arts Department maintains it is following the established guidelines for the restoration of such work, but visitors today complain it is too white and bright than the grey tower they are used to seeing.

BANGKOK — Nopparat Petchchai has watched over the Temple of Dawn for over two decades. The 50-year-old security guard from Uttaradit province, who keeps a close eye on the throngs of mostly Western tourists, said he’s heard the years-long restoration effort of one of Thailand’s most iconic landmarks became controversial once the public got a […]